Wire connecting sleeve



Aug. 24, 1943. C KLEIN 2,327,650

WIRE CONNECTING SLEEVE Original Filed Jan. 4, 1940 WM F 4' & llll IIIIII/I 1 27 Z5 Z0 2/ 2 WI [I l] I H6. 7

' INVENTOR. "a; Char/e5 h. A76? BY I 1 W aifi Patented Aug; 24, 1943 2,327,650 WIRE CONNECTING SLEEVE Charles H. Klein, Cleveland, Ohio, assignor to The National Telephone Supply Company Original application January 4,.1940, Serial No.

312,387, now Patent No. 2,272,244, dated February 10, 1942. Divided and this application February 17, 1941, Serial No. 379,249

7 Claims. (Cl. 287109) My invention relates to sleeves for joining a wire thereto and more particularly to compression type sleeves for joining an electrical conductor thereto without reducing the breaking strength of the conductor and without decreasing the .electrical conductivity of the joint by the use of an abrasive between the sleeve and the wire to be joined.

This application is a division of my pending application Serial No. 312,387, filed January 4, 1940, now Patent No. 2,272,244 dated February 10, 1942, for Sleeves and method of connecting a wire to same.

An object of my invention is to provide a joint between an electrical conductor wire and a sleeve which requires no abrasive to prevent the wire from pulling out of the sleeve when a force is put on. the wire with respect to the sleeve.

Still another object of my invention is to anchor a wire in a sleeve by a combination of frictional engagement and necking engagement.

Another object of my invention is to provide a constant movement clamping tool which is adapted to squeeze a sleeve both into frictional engagement with awire and into necking" engagement with the wire.

Still another object of my invention isto provide a tool which will clamp a first portion of a sleeve into frictional engagement with a wire to establish a grip between the sleeve and the wire to transfer a portion of; the wires load to the sleeve, and which will clamp a second portion of the sleeve into a necking engagement with the wire to transfer a second portion of the wires load to the sleeve, and to so construct the sleeve and the tool that the percent reduction in the total cross-sectional area of the wire caused by the necking engagement of the sleeve will be substantially proportional to thepercent reduction inthe total load caused by the frictional engagement. v

A further object of my invention is to provide an improved joint between a sleeve and a wire in which the sleeve necks into the wire at spaced points and at progressively increased depths to provide a plurality of increasing load resistant grips, and to proportion the percent reduction in the total-cross-sectional area of the wire caused by one of the succeeding necking engagements to be substantially proportional to the percent reduction in the total load which the previous necking engagements of lesser depth take up. I

Another object of my invention is to provide a round sleeve having a hole of substantially constant diameter and having a plurality of diiIer ent sized outside diameters which can be squeezed by a constant movement tool to engage a wire at a plurali-ty of spaced points.

Still another object of my invention is to provide a sleeve having a hole of substantially constant diameter therethrough and having a gradually changing outside diameter.

Another object of my invention is to make a jointbetween a sleeve and a wire by progressively compressing the sleeve and causing the reduction in the cross-sectional area of the wire re.- sulting from the compression to be substantially proportional to the load taken up by the preceding compressions.

Other objects and a fuller understanding of my invention may be had by referring to the following description and claims, taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawing, in which:

Figure 1 shows the ends of two wires in position inahollow sleeve and before a squeezing pressure has been applied to the sleeve;

I Figure 2 shows a constant movement clamping tool which is' adapted to squeeze each end of the sleeve into engagement with the wire;

Figure 3 is a longitudinal section through one wire and a half-portion of the sleeve shown in Figure 1 after the sleeve has been squeezed at three spaced points by the tool shown in Figure 2;

Figure 4 is a modified form of my sleeve shown in longitudinal cross-section and comprises generally a plurality of sections which have different sized outside diameters;

Figure 5 is a cross-sectional view of my modifled sleeve shown in Figure 4 after each of the sections has been squeezed by a constant movement, clamping tool;

Figure 6 shows another modified form of my invention; and

Figure 7 is a cross-sectional view of my-modifled sleeve shown in Figure 6 after a constant movement clamping tool has squeezed it at three spaced points.

My invention comprises an improved compression sleeve II for attaching a wire I0 therein and an'improved means for securing the wire into the improved compression sleeve ll. As shown in the drawing, the wire may be freely inserted into the longitudinal opening of the sleeve until it abuts against the internal stop substantially mid-way of the sleeve.

It is known to those versed in the art of splicing electrical conductor wires that a wire It may be securely held in the sleeve l l without the use of an abrasive if a compression tool is used to severely squeeze the sleeve II and cause it to neck into the wire I0. Necking means that the com- I pressed portion of the sleeve I I reduces the crossput on the wire with respect to the sleeve. A

further objection to necking is the fact that it cold-Works the wire and vibrational fatigue is apt to cause an early failure. Figure 1 illustrates my sleeve II with the wires II] inserted therein before it has been squeezed to neck the wire I0.

My device and method is adapted to secure the wire I I] in the sleeve II without an abrasive by necking the wire I without establishing a weakened cross-sectional area which may fail due to stress or vibrational fatigue.

Figure 3 illustrates in cross-section the lefthalf portion of the sleeve II shown in Figure 1 after it has been compressed upon the wire It! by means of a tool indicated generally by the reference character I2 andshown in Figure 2. The tool I2 is of the constant movement type and has three clamping areas I4, I5 and I6. Each of the three areas comprises a substantially circular hole in the jaws ll of the tool l2. Hole I5 is smaller in diameter than hole I4 and hole I6 is smaller than hole I5. Handles I8 are adapted through a double lever system to open and close the jaws I! of the tool I2. Stops I9 are provided on the handles and adapted to engage each other when the jaws I! of the tool I2 have been closed to a fixed position. Engagement between the stops I9 provides a constant movement to the closing of the jaws I! of the tool.

Figure 3 shows area; A, B and C which have been squeezed between the jaws I! of the tool I2. Sleeve area A having been squeezed by the clamping area I4, sleeve area B having been squeezed by the clamping area I 5 and sleeve area C having been squeezed bythe clamping area I6. The diameter of the tool clamping area I4 is designed to cause the tool I2 to squeeze the sleeve II into a frictional engagement 2!] with the wire I0. A necking engagement is prevented by the stops I9 on the handles I8 engaging each other to prevent further squeezing action by the tool I2. The diameter of the tool clamping area I5 is designed to cause the tool I2 to squeeze the sleeve I I into a slight necking engagement 2I with the wire Ill. The necking engagement is not deep. that is, the sleeve II does not materially depress the wire ID, as the stops I9 engage each other and prevent an excess squeezing action. The diameter of the tool clamping area I6 is designed to cause thetool I2 to squeeze the sleeve II into a necking engagement 22 which is deeper than the preceding necking engagement 2i The frictional engagement 20 is adapted to withstand part of the pull on the wire I0 with respect to the sleeve II. The necking engagements 2| and 22 are adapted to withstand the remainder of the pull between the wire III and the sleeve II The depth to which the necking engagements 2I and 22 penetrate the wire I 0 is carefully controlled to prevent too great a reduction in the, cros-sectional area of the wire I0.

Too great a reduction in the cross-sectional area increases the stress in pounds per square inch to a point where failure might occur. The ratio of reduction in the cross-sectional area of the wire II) at the neck 2I to the total cross-sectional load taken up by the frictional engagement 2D.

By so designing the size of the clamping holes I4, and I5 in the tool I2 the above ratios may be established. The neck 22 is also designed to prevent too great a reduction in the cross-sectional area of the wire Ill. The percentage reduction at neck 22 is substantially proportional to the percentage of load taken up by the frictional engagement 20 and the necking engagement 2|.

2| and 22 with respect to the load between the wire Ill and the sleeve I I and with respect to the cross-sectional area of the wire I0 I can establish a joint between the wire Ill and the sleeve II which will not break or slide and which does not use an abrasive which is expensive and may reduce the conductivity of the joint.

Figure 4 is another embodiment of my sleeve II and is adapted to be used with a constant movement clamping tool having a fixed clamping area in its jaws. Figure 4 illustrates a sleeve having steps 23, 24 and 25. The diameter of the sleeve I I at the step 23 is smaller than the diameter of the sleeve at the steps 24 and 25, and the diameter of the sleeve at the step 24 is smaller than the diameter at the step 25. Figure 5 shows the stepped sleeve I I after a constant movement tool having a fixed squeezing diameter hole has squeezed the sleeve substantially in the center of each of the steps 23, 24 and 25 to form the frictional engagement 20 and the necking engagements 2| and 22. The necking engagements 2I and 22 are formed because of the increased diameters of the steps 24 and 25 over the diameter of the sleeve at the step 23.

Figures 6 and '7 illustrate another sleeve which is adapted to be used with a constant movement clamping tool having a fixed squeezing diameter hole. The diameter of the sleeve increases from the end portion 26 toward the center portion 21. Figure 7 shows the sleeve II after the constant movement clamping tool has squeezed it at three spaced points to'form the frictional engagement 20 and the "necking engagements 2I and 22. As in the stepped embodiment the necking engagements are caused by the increased diameters at the points 2I and 22 on the sleeve over the diameter at 20.

In all three embodiments of my invention, I provide for making a joint between a sleeve and a wire by progressively compressing the sleeve and causing the reduction in the cross-sectional area of the wire resulting from the compression to be substantially proportional to the load taken up by the preceding compressions.

Although I have described my invention with a certain degree of particularity, it is understood that the present disclosure has been made only by way of example and that numerous changes in the deatils of construction may be resorted to without departing from the spirit and the scope of the invention as hereinafter claimed.

By proportioning the frictional engagement 20 and the necking" engagements I claim as my invention:

1. A joint structure comprising a malleable seamless metal sleeve having a longitudinal bore extending therethrough, and malleable metal core-forming members extending longitudinally into said sleeve and having adjacent ends spaced relatively close to each other in the region of the longitudinal center portion of the sleeve, the metal of the sleeve at spaced locations along the intermediate portion of the sleeve being annularly and radially inwardly upset and compacted against and around said core-forming members and forced into necking engagement with the periphery of each of the core-forming members, the metal of the sleeve at spaced locations in the region of the end portions of the sleeve being annularly and radially inwardly upset and compacted against and around said core-forming members and forced into frictional engagement with the periphery of each of the core-forming members.

2. A joint structure comprising a malleable seamless metal sleeve having a, longitudinal bore extending therethrough, and malleable metal core-forming members extending longitudinally into said sleeve and having adjacent ends spaced relatively close to each other in the region of the longitudinal center portion of the sleeve, the metal of the sleeve at spaced locations along the intermediate portion of the sleeve being annularly and radially inwardly upset and compacted against and around said core-forming members and forced into necking engagement with the periphery of each of the core-forming members,

the metal of the sleeve at spaced locations in the region of the end portions of the sleeve being annularly and radially inwardly upset and compacted against and around said core-forming members and forced into frictional engagement with the periphery of each of the core-forming members, the necking engagements ranging from a relatively slight radial depth to a relatively deep radial depth.

3. A joint structure comprising a malleable seamless metal sleeve having a longitudinal bore extending therethrough, and malleable metal core-forming members extending longitudinally into said sleeve and having adjacent ends spaced relatively close to each other in the region of the longitudinal center portion of the sleeve, the metal of the sleeve at spaced locations along the sleeve being annularly and radially inwardly upset'and compacted against and around said coreforming members and forced into necking engagement with the periphery of each of the coreforming members, the necking engagements ranging from a relatively slight radial depth to a relatively deep radial depth.

4. A joint structure comprising a malleable metal of the sleeve at spaced locations along the sleeve being annularly and radially inwardly upset-and compacted against and around said coreforming members and forced into necking engagement with the periphery of each of the coreforming members, the necking engagements ranging progressively from a relatively slight radial depth to a relatively deep radial depth as they approach the longitudinal center of the sleeve. A

5. A joint structure comprising a malleable seamless metal sleeve having a longitudinal bore extending therethrough, and malleable metal core-forming members extending longitudinally into said sleeve and having adjacent ends spaced relatively close to each other in the region of the longitudinal center portion of the sleeve, the metal of the sleeve at spaced locations along the sleeve being annularly and radially inwardly upset and compacted against and around said coreforming members and forced into necking engagement with the periphery of each of the coreforming members, the necking engagements ranging progressively from a relatively slight radial depth to a. relatively deep radial depth as they approach the longitudinal center of the sleeve, the metal of the sleeve at the spaced upset locations having substantially the same external diameters and each having a greater wall thickness as they approach the longitudinal center of the sleeve.

6. A joint structure comprising a malleable seamless metal sleeve having a longitudinal bore extending therethrough, and malleable metal core-forming members extending longitudinally into said sleeve and having adjacent ends spaced relatively close to each other in the region of the longitudinal center portion of the sleeve, the metal of the sleeve at spaced locations along the sleeve being annularly and radially inwardly upset and compacted against and around said coreforming members and forced into engagement with the periphery of each of the core-forming members, the said engagements ranging from a frictional engagement to a necking" engagement.

'7. A joint structure comprising a malleable seamless metal sleeve having a longitudinal bore extending therethrough, and malleable metal core-forming members extending longitudinally into said sleeve and having adjacent ends spaced relatively close to each other in the region of the longitudinal center portion of the sleeve, the metal of the sleeve at spaced locations along the sleeve being annularly and radially inwardly upset and compacted against and around said coreforming members and forced into engagement with the periphery of each of the core-forming members, the said engagements ranging from a frictional engagement to a necking engagement, the metal of the sleeve at the spaced upset locations having substantially the same external diameters and each having a greater wall thickness as they approach the longitudinal center of the sleeve. 

